Get to know some of our volunteers and their experiences.

Volunteer experience at YfC. By Cecilia Mengo
I have just completed a two- months long internship at Youth for Conservation. This also marked a first initiation for me into the active world of conservation work- my life-long dream. Although meant to be a practical learning period, it felt so different from the dreary class room experience back in college.

With two other colleagues from my class at Moi University, we have participated in various projects at YfC. Working under the supervision of the Programmes Officer, we were involved in the planning of numerous events. For instance, since mid-June, we have been involved in a string of exhibitions at various points a round the city of Nairobi, with the aim of creating greater public awareness regarding conservation of Kenya's wildlife. We also helped recruit new members into the organisation.

Several camping weekends out of Nairobi provided key lessons in team work. It was a lot fun accompanying more experienced members on desnaring campaigns. The first time I went out as part of a desnaring team, it was quite an unnerving experience- being out in the wild with the constant knowledge that there are dangerous wild lurking all over in the bushes. However, with time, my fear gradually disappeared and was always anxious to go out again.

While I had the opportunity to pick on other organizations for my industrial attachment, I decided to come to YfC because I was greatly moved by what was going on here and yearned to be part of this great team.

After working here for two months, my perspective on conservation work has greatly broadened. I have also been able to meet many interesting people while working here. I hope to build further on this experience by getting involved in many more conservation related activities in the future.
Cecilia Mengo is a final year BA- Geography Major student from Moi University.